It’s no secret that a successful bathroom renovation can enhance your home.
Whether you are updating your primary residence or a rental investment property, consult a professional and they will likely tell you that there are few things that boost a property’s value more than a top-notch bathroom.
In today’s tech world, our homes are getting smarter and the bathroom is no exception.
Today we’ll be covering just a few of the best smart options for your bathroom, but first, lets do a little dive into the origins of smart home technology.
The Start of Smart
Did you know that the evolution of smart home technology began in the 1960s?
The Honeywell Kitchen Computer made its debut in the 1969 Nieman Marcus Christmas catalog.
The ad read, “If she can only cook as well as Honeywell can compute.”
It went on to say, “Her souffles are supreme; her meal planning a challenge?”
For the low price of $10,000 husbands could make their wives Christmas dreams come true with 100 pounds of pure meal planning power. Just the push of a few buttons and PRESTO! Your five-course, gourmet meal would be computed in a snap!
*Two-week programming course included. Teletype and paper reader sold separately.
You may be surprised to learn that despite the convenience, affordability, and charming advertising only a handful of units were sold.
While it didn’t work in any practical sense, it generated new thoughts about computers being consumer products.
Fast forward to 2021 and aside from flying cars, the list of Jetsons prophecies that have been fulfilled continues to grow. (Eighties kids get it.)
Robots, home offices, online classes, telemedicine, and video calls are commonplace. There’s smart energy, smart security, smart lighting, smart kitchens; you get the picture.
It should come as no surprise that our bathrooms should advance as well.
If you are building a new home or renovating your property, incorporating technology in your bathroom is just a smart idea.
The market is flooded with waterproof speakers, smart lighting, smart scales, and a slew of other gadgets promising to bring your bathroom into the future.
Today, we are going to focus on just a few elements that you can install to smarted up your bathroom.
Smart Showers
Smart showers allow you to create personalized settings with customized water temperature, flow, and set a maximum run time, all controlled from the convenience of your smartphone or by simple voice commands if you have Amazon’s Alexa.
The ability to run a safe bath from the dinner table using their phones may feel like a superpower to some parents.
Pre-set temperatures reduce the risk of accidental burns, while pre-set run times reduce the risk of overflow.
Water damage can have devastating effects in terms of out-of-pocket repair costs for any homeowner. If you have never had the pleasure of a bathtub overflow, prevention is vital. Nobody thinks it will happen to them.
If you’re a landlord, water damage can negatively impact your rental income as well as expenses. If you are looking for bathroom upgrades to boost rental value, this one should be on your list.
The Bottom Line
A lot of smart home technology caters to convenience or entertainment.
Convenience is great, and who doesn’t love an epic shower jam session?
But the personal safety and property protection smart showers provide for homeowners and renters alike is what makes this a gadget worth having.
With prices starting at just under $250, smart showers are a great choice for any bathroom!
Smart Toilets
Smart toilets were once a thing of science fiction, but as smart home technology has progressed, it has changed the toilet game forever.
The newest generation of toilets can eliminate the need for toilet paper, water and even the use of your hands.
A smart toilet can sense when a person is approaching and lifts the lid automatically.
The available technology includes an instant heat system that not only warms the seat to the perfect temperature, it warms the bidet water as well.
A heated air dryer aims to reduce or eliminate toilet paper use while also being more sanitary.
Users can adjust the pressure and position, as well as the water temperature of the bidet with a wireless remote control.
Perhaps the best part, the toilet flushes itself and the seat and lid are put down for you. This technology could save marriages.
Newer technology has even produced self-cleaning options with antimicrobial seats and a disease-detecting toilet that will pick up on multiple signs of illness through automated sample analysis.
The Bottom Line
Smart toilets are impressive luxury design elements that are functional, comfortable and are sure to add value to your bathroom. That value doesn’t come without a price tag though. If you want to trade your old toilet for a smart experience, these tech toilets start at $1,200 to upwards of $500,000.
Smart Faucets
With the focus on going green and preserving water, one tech that is gaining popularity in the home is the smart faucet.
Digital faucets with sensor taps offer touchless technology. An infrared tap can “read” when hands are under the faucet and turns on and off automatically accordingly.
Smart faucets are designed with water conservation in mind. If you have ever been stuck in a public bathroom waving your hands under a stubborn faucet that won’t recognize your soapy, waving hands you may wonder why anyone would want to bring this technology into their own home.
The sensor taps that you would install in your property offer programmable sensitivity and other features for different scenarios, such as a teeth-brushing option that runs for an allotted time frame.
More advanced models include smart meters that can monitor your water consumption and detect abnormal use. Not all water leaks are visible. This technology can be invaluable for detecting a water leak before it becomes catastrophic.
The Bottom Line
Smart faucets can help conserve water and reduce germ transmission. At prices starting at just under $100, a smart faucet is another smart home technology that is relatively affordable for most homes.
Final Thoughts
The smart home options are endless and new technology is available every day.
A whopping 81% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase or rent a home that has smart technology. If you are making plans to complete a bathroom remodel, including smart options is a wise choice.
